Art critic Michael Wilson slams free trip to St. Louis

ST. LOUIS (KSDK) -Michael Wilson, a freelance art critic, writer and editor, recently visited St. Louis to experience local art, paid for by the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission. Although Wilson used none of his own money, he was not pleased with his stay and voiced his opinion of the city in a diary post on artforum.com.

After his plans of arriving in St. Louis for cocktails in the city by nightfall were foiled by unexpected weather, Wilson carried his gloomy demeanor right into our city.

And stay at the Cheshire Boutique Hotel just would not cut it.

"The mock-Tudor facility had apparently been designated officially historic, a reward for having survived unnumbered stag parties and family getaways since as far back as the mid-1950s." said Wilson.

As his trip continued, Wilson noted he and his colleagues noticed the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis "lacked a convincing raison d'être" although he liked the show itself.

He continued to devalue city landmarks like the Missouri Botanical Garden and World Chess Hall of Fame, though he described the antique chess set display at the chess museum as "surprisingly lovely."

His post ended with a shot at the centerpiece event, a tour of the Saint Louis Art Museum.

"I got a great personal tour of the understated new galleries from curator Tricia Paik but saw no one else," said Wilson.